Mr Sukhrob Khosmukamadov, Deputy Resident Representative of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says the absence of skilled experts to repair Electric Vehicles (EV) and basic infrastructures hinders Ghana’s renewable energy adoption.
He said charging stations and battery swap infrastructures are key factors to improve for reliability and efficiency of Ghana’s EV buses.
He said the EVs offered a significant opportunity for Ghana to accelerate its renewable energy adoption, greenhouse gas emissions and combat urban air pollution, yet faces many hurdles.
Speaking during a joint event by UNDP and Energy Commission to address market opportunity study on EV charging stations in Ghana, Mr Khosmukamadov outlined some challenges facing Ghanas charging ports.
He said Ghana has limited charging stations which can only be found in Accra, consequently, these charging stations lack repair expertise or ready equipment service to replace faulty ones.
However, he called for charging stations to be integrated into government’s incentives policies to encourage private sector investment. This, he noted that will help investors provide more charging ports and provide expertise for the future of EV development.
While acknowledging the importance of EV infrastructure, he raised concerns about Ghana’s reliance on foreign experts for basic EV maintenance due to a skills gap, “this can be solved by organizing programs to teach local electricians on how to fix these EV buses and infrastructures,” he added.
Despite these challenges, he said these EV buses in Ghana will help create green job for local developers.
Dr Godwin Kafui Ayetor, a consultant for Energy Commsion, speaking at the event also highlighted some challenges facing the energy sector. He pointed out that Ghana has only seven charging stations in the country – all located in Accra. This, he expressed worry that, these EV buses could not be harnessed efficiently across the country.
He therefore, urged regulators and government agencies to develop a comprehensive framework for the placement of charging stations across the country.
Mr Ayetor suggested that government should map out locations for the charging stations in cities like Accra to ensure better coordination and accessibility.
He raised concerns about the quality of electricity supply to charging stations, noting that the many rely on the national grid and lack of backup power is a significant challenge.
To address this, he called for the provision of incentives for the private sector to set up more renewable energy-powered charging facilities, to reduce dependency on national power.
He advised the Energy Commission to organize capacity-building programs for local electricians to equip them with the necessary skills to support the growing of EV technology.
